Is buying brand new 4th gen planes going to make them not useful for 40 years though? Lets face it, "stealth" is a fools errand. Various levels of stealth have been defeated over the years. By going 5th gen, you may buy 10 years. So what else is the F35? A bunch of brand new technology that is going through serious growing pains.
The chances of Canada dog fighting or engaging Russia with long range weapons is slim. When was the last time we did something other than dropping bombs? We really need jets to assist NATO, and assert sovereignty over the North. I haven't seen anything to convince me that the F35 is the only way to do this for the next 35 years, or even the best way.
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